[aerohead]

This was the title of yesterday's 'ENERGY SWITCH', TV program, from the University of Texas, at Austin, Texas, hosted by scientist, Scott Tinker.
His guests were Dr. Steve Hamburg, and Dr. Julio Friedman, both involved in the hydrogen question.
* Presently, China leads the world in hydrogen production.
* Presently, 'all' hydrogen is 'not carbon-neutral', produced from 'methane', referred to as 'Gray-hydrogen.'
* The production of 1-kg of gray hydrogen emits 22-kg of carbon dioxide.
* Hydrogen itself is a 'potent' greenhouse gas, and nobody knows how much 'rogue' hydrogen is released to the atmosphere each year.
* 'Green-hydrogen' manufactured from electrolysis using renewable energy doesn't presently exist.
* 'Blue-hydrogen', manufactured by steam-reforming of natural gas ( methane ) presently does not exist.
* 'Pink-hydrogen', manufactured by hydrolysis using nuclear power plant electricity presently does not exist.
* Presently, 1,000-miles of hydrogen pipeline exists in the USA.
* Presently, 'Industrial process-heat' for:
- Steelmaking
- Chemicals
- Glass-making
- Heavy trucking
- Heavy shipping
cannot be satisfied with 'electricity,' and if could be satisfied with 'hydrogen,' would reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions by 7%.
* Using hydrogen fuel-cells where 'batteries' can be used is considered a non-starter on account of the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics.
* Fuel-cells for a typical 18-wheeler would cost $ 90,000 ( US ).
* So far, from 1975, to 2025, 'hydrogen' has never taken off, as a
business model ( 50-years ).
* The notion of 'Government Procurement' as a market-pull mechanism for kick-starting the hydrogen industry was tosse4d out, although, in light of the present White House, that may be dead on arrival as a concept.
* In order to hit the 20%- 30% energy target by 2050, requires annual production of 730,000,000-tons of hydrogen.
* 'Hydrogen 'HUBS'' would be required in existing 'Cancer-Alley' industrial petro-chemical locations, asking area residents to accept 'another' industry, where they already suffer inordinate levels of pollution-related health challenges.
* Some of the talking points by Hamburg and Friedman:
-1,000-X scale-up
- efficiency
- hydrogen -to- synthetic jet fuel
- land use restraints
- cost effectiveness
- needs
- market
- scalability
- equitability
- theoretical
- realistic
- carbon pricing
- incentives ( production credits, grants, policy )
- penalties
- inclusion of all, presently-omitted externalities into the calculus, in order to create a truly- level playing field among players
- limits
- we don't have 'longer'
- we need 'bigger'
- price-points
- both agreed that:
* create pilot plants
* collect data
* get 'clarity'
* then use to make decisions / policy